The Wolverine From Down Under Drops Its Claws

Hugh Jackman fans were heartened by his recent denial of the rumored $100-million deal to make four more “X-Men” installments. Enough already, Hugh. Your “Les Mis” and “Boy from Oz” performances have shown us you’re capable of so much more than ripped abs and ripping claws.

The same, it turns out, can be said of Oz’s rip-snorting automotive action hero, the Holden Commodore. In its star turn as the Pontiac G8, it was all falsie hood scoops and diffusers, fat tires and wheelspin, with an interior as foreign and hard to operate as a boomerang. Its revival/reboot as the Chevrolet SS really demonstrates the range of these Down Under-developed Zeta bones.

As mid-cycle enhancements go, the transition from VE to VF-generation Commodore was a doozy. The major hard points, doors, roof, and glass carry over, but expensive things such as the aluminum lower control arms, hood, and trunk are new, and an all-new vehicle electrical architecture supports standard features including MyLink infotainment and telematics, collision and lane-departure warnings, self-parking, and a full-color head-up display that remains visible viewed through polarized glasses(!). The aluminum bits, plus a switch to composite material for the trunk floor/spare-tire well, and other trimmings more than offset the car’s added features and increased sound deadening, particularly on the firewall, allowing this SS to weigh in 69 pounds lighter than our last similarly spec’d G8 GXP. The lightening efforts at the rear result in a 53/47 front/rear weight bias, while all G8 test cars carried 48 or 49 percent on the tail.

That GXP spec is now the only way you can get an SS -- with a 415-hp, 415-lb-ft LS3 V-8 bolted to a paddle-shifted 6L80 automatic (sorry, no more row-your-own option), four-piston Brembo front brakes, performance shocks, and rack-mounted electric power steering. There’s no engineering reason the SS should be any slower than our GXP automatic -- it’s lighter, and has the same power, torque, and gearing. So why did it take me 4.9 seconds to hit 60 mph and 13.3 seconds to cross the quarter, when the Pontiac managed 4.5 and 13-flat? The SS was only available in Michigan during 40-degree weather.Denser air is great for engines, but crappy for Bridgestone Potenza friction quotients. Our weather correction actually slows the car down 6 percent, while the hapless summer-spec rear tires (which chief engineer Dave Leone says are functionally identical to those on a Ferrari California) just couldn’t hook up with any sort of revs -- and hence meaningful torque -- dialed up. The swiftest runs started with slight brake torquing to just off idle (about 1800 rpm), then gradually progressed to wide-open throttle. The quarter-mile trap speed of 107.6 mph attests to the SS’ essential capability being the same (the GXP hit 108.5).

Also attesting to the car’s strength is our impressive figure-eight performance. Perhaps the cold air helped the tires achieve and maintain a more optimal temperature (and its beneficial effect on engine performance is not corrected for mathematically in this test), because the sixth of ten laps -- with all stability systems switched off -- registered a blistering 25.2 seconds at an average of 0.74 total g with steady-state lateral acceleration averaging 0.96 g. That equals the E63 AMG/CTS-V warm weather performance (besting the G8 GXP by 1.2 seconds and 0.04 g) -- just remember that weather caveat.The first four laps in the Stabilitrak’s Competitive mode were slowed by interventions that were still too aggressive, and the last two with all systems on were slower still.The Brembo brakes are very strong, and the car transitions nicely from trail braking to neutral cornering at reasonable, controllable slip angles. The rack-mounted electric steering even provides reasonable feedback regarding the state of front-end grip. Toward the end of the session, however, the brakes were pulsing a bit from heat warpage.What’s most impressive about the SS is how much more grown-up it feels inside and out. There’s supple leather with convincing suede flourishes, cut-and-sew materials on the doors and dash, and that spiffy high-res color HUD with multiple screen options, including ones that indicate lateral g (remembering peaks for a moment so you can check them after a corner) and help tell you when to flick the paddle for an upshift. The huge back seat offers limo-like comfort (and even some lateral support), but no 12-volt or USB charge points.

The levels of road and wind noise are more in keeping with the car’s mass-market roots, but the shocks are (mercifully) softened from their Aussie-market Commodore SS V-series Redline spec to better cushion Michigan’s frost-heaved potholes while still offering laudable sport-sedan body-motion control. We’d love to try the magnetic setup top-spec HSV Gen-F GTS models get in Oz, but Leone cautions against expecting the Chevy SS to get that car’s hotter supercharged LSA engine, or the Z/28’s LS7, or even the current Corvette’s more efficient but pricier LT1, any of which would bolt in easily. “We are enthused and excited about the car, but we’re not planning on dropping in three new engines.”That’s in part because while the car is not capacity constrained, Chevy can’t really afford to sell tens of thousands of SSs when each one gets socked with a $1300 gas-guzzler tax (rated 14/21 mpg, it’s even thirstier than a five-speed Charger SRT8). This sad CAFE reality means there’s less incentive to stir the pot with new variants. But to those rear-drive Impala SS enthusiasts overdue for a new car to tune, tweak, and bracket-race (and make big, smoky burnouts in such as the one our art department insisted we snap, though that’s no longer this car’s principle raison d’etre), Leone assures, “We will support the car in accessories. Holden has a reasonable aftermarket portfolio, and a lot of Camaro equipment will bolt on.”The least-impressive element of the car is styling that lacks the movie-star appeal of its Mopar rivals. But please, Chevy, if addressing this, don't add any adamantium flourishes.

I think the SS is a very good car and my kind of car. I am 66 years, want a V8 and RWD only. Have owned 2 door coupes in this configuration. However, probably found the four doors more comfortable and useful for business travel. The only reason I would not buy the SS is there are so many other choices in the price range. If it was all there was in the config i would buy it. The engineering draws me in, the styling does not. I want a lower more wide track jaguar looking body. The SS just looks like too many other cars to carve a reputation. 4000/year is a low sales number. Chevy sold more SSRs per year than that. I too think the Malibu is better looking. A car of this caliber needs to avoid the taurus humpy look and look like a RWD. If it had hood roof and deck planes like the defunct Lincoln LS (kind of jaguar inspired) it would be a real item. It could be a police platform. For civilian driving there is no excuse not to give 28 mpg highway with the engine and trans tech we have today. Even with a 6.2L. The car is 2 cuts above the daily commuters, malibu, altima, camry, fusion, etc it would not attract that segment of buyer for price. However the styling and low mpg keeps it from catching fire with the touring car buyers. I think no one will regret the purchase but there are several other touring class cars to be happier with.

I truly ruined my left calf drag racing cars. Being a surgeon I know nothing can be done. I could not take even a two hour trip from Phoenix to Tucson in our DTS or drive my ZO6 without cramping my leg in the last two years. I drove the ZO6 20 miles to the Chevy Dealership to see their SS and had the worst cramp ever. I knew I could not drive it home. I already looked and drove a SS at their 'sister' dealership. I received a better price there so I bought my 66th new car. The wife drove the DTS there and we traded them both in. Everyone that says they would consider a stick shift is just blowing smoke. Out here the Pontiac had a 10 thousand dollar surcharge on them. I have long legs and the SS has 46 1/2 " of front leg room so I can take car trips now. The car is fast and agile. Better balance than the Pontiac was. Everyone so far asks what it is, since it is not loaded with badges but they really like it. I don't want a 'sleek' car because they get the tickets. At 72 I could not beat a 6 speed auto anyway, but can enjoy the car.It is faster than they say it is. In 1972, I bought a Buick GS 455 Stage 1 with the 4 speed and 500 ft # of torque. Never got beat. Four of these cars had 4-speeds. Three others than I. That is my point about 'gearheads' . At this point in my life I feel it is the best car on the road, hands down.

I'll keep my G8 GT. The styling just isn't aggressive enough for my tastes. Question - what is so confusing about the G8 interior Motor Trend? You can't figure out that the window controls are on the center console or something? I'm really happy the Holden is back but really feel Pontiac did it better.

This is really becoming a NWO, New World Order. No more domestic cars are DOMESTIC, except the vette. Truly sad to be a part of the U.S.these days, really is. This country is falling apart and everyone seems to either be blind and deaf or don't care. Sad indeed. Until washington is wiped clean, no more politicians, this country will never recover.

First off, 70 lbs less weight will not help anything. 300 lbs less might, but not 70. Next, the temps may have been 40 degrees but the density altitude was 1500' BELOW SEALEVEL, which is equal to adding 35-40hp. So with properly WARMED UP tires, this car might have done 4.6-4.7 sec which is what the actual original GXP did it in. The stick did it in 4.5 sec, MT. Warm your damn tires up good and you MIGHT get better results. The G8 GXP was nice. Tis is that car with some subtle changes. It has a uglier rear and cheesey looking LED DRL strips!!!!! Still an Aussie piece of crap.no thx GM. GM still making bad financial decisions and a national collapse eminent, I say they them all learn to not be greedy thieves or let them fail. It's the only way they'll, learn, fact!!!!!!

As a G8 owner, I'm a little offended by the digs on the Pontiac. I have owned, or had access to 30 vehicles ranging from a Cadillac DeVille, to a C5 Corvette, to a Chevy Beretta. And, honestly, this is my favorite car, hands down.

The foreign controls become ingrained after about 3 days... The Falsie hood scoops look cool. The fake diffuser only looks fake if you know what a diffuser is. Ask 20 people on the street, or in the mall what a diffuser is.

The looks of the SS, exterior, bore me. The looks of the interior are awesome.

The price tag, and gas guzzler tax are prohibitive.

How does the release date of this car affect it for Car of the Year Status???

I sold they very last Pontiac G8 in my town in Ocala FL. It was a sad experience knowing that the car never had a chance in the US market. It was a GT with the 6.0 V8, since we couldn't get the GXP that the customer requested. The same customer who bought it, came to where I work now and bought our first SS yesterday. This thing is simply AMAZING! My old customer kept his G8 also, simply because he likes how the G8 looks more than the SS. Before he left, he said that, one way or the other, he finally got his GXP....

Hmm. For just a thousand dollars more you can get an Infiniti Q50 hybrid. The Q50 is exactly as fast 0-60 (4.9 sec), just a few ticks slower in the 1/4 (13.6 vs. 13.3), stops almost as fast (115 ft vs. 107 ft), but instead of getting the abyssmal 14/21 mpg that the SS delivers, the Infiniti gets 29/36 mpg. Just make sure to get the Infiniti without the drive-by-wire.

It seems that GM is stuck in the gas-hog age with this SS. Full size pickups now get better than 14/21 mpg.

@mt411 If you want Gas mileage, Chevy makes a car that gives you over 250 MPG and about 1,000 miles per each 8 gallons gas tank. It's been in the market for three years and it was Motor Trend Car of the Year, Car and Driver 10 Best and North American Car of the Year all the same year. It also just won the trophy for JD Power Associates Appeal for third year in a row. You trying to compare a Muscle Car against a Hybrid? Give me a break! Americans can smoke that Infinity with a Tesla S....

I do indeed like this SS and the G8 GT/GXP of 2008-2009. The new features of the SS do indeed add to its value, but 47k seems a bit much..Not because I can't afford it, but here where I live on the West Coast with some recent shopping a Charger RT Hemi can be had for approx 27K with factory 20's and nav...either 2013-14.

I can do a lot with 20k perhaps buy another car and still do some mods to increase handling/straight-line performance of a RT Charger to meet if not exceed this SS.

Car and Driver's recent comparo echo's the findings of the 2008 comparison but now with the increased price of the SS in my opinion...I know I could live with a Charger RT...It is still a performance bargain.

P.S. further reseach has found a few 2012 SRT's 300/Chargers new in the 38-43k range...before negotiation. I believe I might still consider a MOPAR...I am neither a fan of GM or Chrysler just a "Informed Enthusiast".

At the end of the day, I am just glad that cars like this are still made and understand that the value of "Extra Cash" in your pocket is yet, still important.

I really like the concept of this car. A great roomy but fast and fun car that has some real fun in the dna like a great v8. A couple of things sour the pot just enough to make me pass.

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1. The motor it is a gem but I would think even if the new motor in the c7 vette cannot be more than say 2k this could get rid of gas guzzler tax and that way for just a few dollars more that I can give gm vs a stupid tax we get a better motor.

2.0 price I cannot see where this car comes of 10k more than say a Camaro ss1le I know this has to do with where it is made but still this car is not much cheaper than a base vettte.

all in all a good car but I would rather get a camaro ss1le for 35k and get a dd like a cruze.

This was a joke. Why try to deface the G8 when it was and still clearly a badass car? So what the hoodvents were fake. Walkinshaw sells usable vents and if anyone couldn't figure out the controls inside the G8's interior, they need to right the short yellow bus to work. The VF platform makes for a nice looking car but it's no where's need $45K nice. Imagine me giving up my G8 GT for this car. Never in a million years.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the comparison test between the Charger SRT and the SS in the January edition of Car & Driver. Just read it - it pretty much sums up this SS, and justifies it's 45K price :)

It's a nice ride, but for the asking price....well other choices come to mind. Second, I prefer the looks of the Impala....SS seems to lack a little flare/style for my taste...That is for a performance car. Third....rather than a gas sucking engine that dings fleet econ, I'd much rather see the 410 hp 3.6 lt bi-turbo from the Caddy...Less weight, better mpg, improved handling, and the mid range turbo boot in the a___ .

The Chevrolet SS is sum what, starting out fine. By 2015, I hope GM will put the DIRECT INJECTION 6.2 V 8 version ENGINE. And a 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, OR THE 9 OR 10 SPEED TRANSMISSION, That Ford and GM are working on right now. GM " PLEASE DO NOT CHEAPEN THIS CAR" , in any way shape or form. And DIRECT INJECT THE L S 7 (427 CUBIC INCH) ENGINE soon. GM KEEP STRIVING AHEAD AND DO NOT SIT ON YOUR LAURELS. The competition is to great !

There's no doubt that the 2014 Chevrolet SS is a lot of fun; but one has to wonder how the car will hold up after a couple of years as for about the same amount of money would be the 2014 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R Spec.

I just had to laugh at the comment about the interior of the G8 being hard to operate. Really? The problem with most cars built in recent years is too much stuff in the interior, specifically regarding the electronics. I love the interior of my G8, looks a lot better than what I see in the pics of the SS.

@MRM4couldn't agree more with you brother. I want muscle, feel the car rumble, exhaust tones, and basic interior electronics. All this new electronics ruins the thrill of driving your car, I'm buying the car for its engine and manly components, I do not need or want park assistance, touch screen to distract me from driving, and flashy flashy interior. I love the G8, I love the aggressive fake hood scoops, I love how easy it is to navigate the controls on the car. Let's me honest here, people who want to buy the SS are looking for a bad ass car bc they love big American V8's, not bc it looks like my grandpa's cadillac interior. A huge thumbs up for the Heads Up Display though! The only thing that I like over my G8 GXP. Cool, great looking car don't get me wrong, but it looks like an oversize Malibu. Put the SS next to the G8 GXP and ask which one is the sports car

My 2008 G8GT with the 6.0L V8 cost me less than $30K. With a $300 Superchips tune and a $40 K&N air filter it will run 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, while producing 20 MPG in mixed driving and 24 MPG on the highway. The gas mileage in this Chevy SS is terrible, and the car should be a 4.5 second 0-60 car. Apparently GM did not remove the slush and dead spots in the shift pattern, that Superchips remedies. It's a "no deal" for $45K.

@the_roadrunner not bad I have a 09 MGM G8 GT that so far is all stock. I had though about a Rotofab CAI and a Superchips tuner.. now after I see you got a 0-60 in 4.9 makes me want the above even more!

@the_roadrunner This was NOT ran on a track the Same day and the same driver as the person that tested the GXP. I'm sure that Stock this will keep up with your GT and with a Cortex and Roto-Fab will completely blow away your GT.

IT IS THE GXP, just with a facelift. The same people who built your G8 GT built the SS. Boneheads.

Don't get me wrong it was hard for me not to but a G8 GXP when they were new, but I live where there is snow. While the new SS is more subdued in its looks bet it would put a smile on your face after you drive it. I just needed a awd car to justify buying for my climate.

The GARISH vent behind the front wheels and the warped brakes are non-starters for me. GM has a sordid history of brakes warping on many of their products ( and not only on performance cars). BTW, who is taking pictures of the speedometer at 75MPH, 5000RPM??? (see photo gallery). Apparently texters are not the only AHoles.

I think the G8 had a more aggressive (at to me attractive) front end. The SS looks good, just not as sporty looking as the G8. However, the real deal breaker for me is the lack of a manual. I'll keep my GXP manual for now, and when it's time to change cars I'll look for another rear wheel drive (manual) sedan.

And I quote: "In its star turn as the Pontiac G8,
the Holden Commodore was all falsie hood scoops and diffusers, fat tires and
wheelspin, with an interior as foreign and hard to operate as a
boomerang."

Really MT....Really? so 245 tires all the way
around on 19" wheels is what you call FAT tires....and an interior, while biased
towards right hand drivers like they have in AU for some features, is not what I
would call foreign and hard to operate. The G8 is NO more biased towards a
right side driver than the 2003-2006 Infiniti G35s....and no one ever complained
they were HARD to figure out.

I understand trying to suck the readers in with tag
lines, but pure BS is just childish.

Bottom Line: For almost $7000 more you get about
$3000 in features, and looks that are NO WHERE near is Mean and Mature (Yep at
the same time) as the G8...in either GT or GXP form. NO THANKS Chevy...I will
keep my GXP.

And for the record, with 3500 miles on mine it ran
a bone stock 12.9 at 107+, and then w/a Cat back exhaust, CAI and Diablo Tune
that went down to a flat 12.600 at 110.82 Mph....all with almost 50/50 handling
vs. a more front heavy SS. If the direct injected new Vette Engine were
here...we would have a legitimate "something" to discuss.

Brother bought a 2009 G8 gt with 24000 miles on it for 26000. He loves the car. I own a 2012 Dodge Charger rt with the 370 hp hemi. He is faster than my car, but when there is 2 inches of snow on the ground I kill his car cause I was smart & bought the awd model. Wish this had awd. That is why I didn't buy a G8